


Paragon

by vernacular



Category: Monster Hunter (Video Games), モンスターハンター ストーリーズ RIDE ON | Monster Hunter Stories: Ride On (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Gen, OC Protagonist, and slightly less cartoon violence please be careful, cartoon violence, mother death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:08:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22214575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vernacular/pseuds/vernacular
Summary: Ciela is a girl from a secluded village, who only knows the ways of the Rider. When a dark force threatens the stability of her home and world, she ventures out beyond the bounds of what she knows, meeting new people and trying new things. Only she can rise up against the Black Blight-- and only she can discover what it means to have proof of a hero.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 15





	1. Birthday Fourteen

_January_

The pale winter sun filtered slowly between the backs of the green-gray mountains surrounding the mottled roofs of sleepy Hakum Village. The warbling cry of a strange bird shattered the silence, and one by one, people began to awaken and start their days. Breakfasts were shared, shops were opened, monsters were roused from their slumber.

Indeed, many citizens of Hakum Village raised monsters. Such a bizarre and dangerous thing for people to attempt must have had a long history behind it; yet, history mattered little to those living their day to day lives in this tiny town. This was not true for everybody, but most of the denizens fell into that category.

Heavy footsteps sounded from the rocky village path as a young man began his morning patrol. He tugged his fur-lined hood up over his head, protecting himself from the bitter chill that permeated the mountain air. At least it hadn’t snowed last night. As he fumbled with the strings on his hood, he heard an elderly voice cut through the air.

“Young Dan!” said the tiny, wizened old man as he approached, pointed ears twitching. “I see you’ve started your Rider duties right on time today.”

“Yes, Chief Omna,” said Dan, standing at attention. “I’m doing a foot patrol around the village, and then I’ll take Pecko for an aerial perimeter check.”

“Good work, as always. How is your Qurupeco doing, by the way? Last I heard, it had sustained an injury in the battle with that bear.”

Dan sighed. The Arzuros had put up quite the fight, far past its normal aggression patterns. Really, it shouldn’t have even _been_ there, not in this weather. He’d managed to calm it down, but it hadn’t been easy. “Pecko is just about done healing, and we’ve been testing his wings so I know he’s ready.” He smiled. “Knowing him, he’ll do awesome!”

Omna laughed, crossing his arms. “Oh ho ho! Always give it your all, that’s right. It’s what I like about you, young Dan.” He began to stroke his beard, pondering. “Tell me, have you woken the little one yet?”

“Aw, no!” Dan smacked his forehead. “I knew I’d forgotten something. Should I do that now, then?”

“No need, no need. I will ask young Aux to do it.”

“All right then,” said Dan, with a hint of concern coloring his voice. “I’ll be off!”

“Indeed. Good luck, Rider,” said the Chief, as he made his way toward some shabby twin houses on the corner.

* * *

In one of the shabby houses, the one with a pale pink flag adorning the doorway, someone was grumbling as she skittered about the bathroom. “Stupid-- bangs-- stay down!” the girl hissed as she struggled the brush through unruly bedhead. Some days, her hair _would_ work with her, but clearly today was not one of them. At last, though, she managed to get her bangs to settle over her face, with minimal curling at the ends. She put the brush down on the sink and leaned forward into the mirror, hands gripping the edge of the basin.

Ciela Caldwell was what one might call _eccentric-looking,_ at least to the people she’d known all her life. She wore clothes that fit her frame loosely, as she could only stand specific textures. Her mouth was set in a firm line by default, and her grins, few and far between, were crooked and sharp-toothed. Her hair, warm brown and cut close to her shoulders, had a tendency to stick up in back or curl at the ends, and she covered her right eye with asymmetrical bangs. Speaking of her eyes, they were her most noticeable feature-- wide and a brilliant red, they looked as if they were burning in certain light.

She smiled at her reflection, baring her fangs proudly. Today was gonna be a good day, she could feel it. Cold though it may have been, it was the new year-- and that meant it was her birthday! She was turning fourteen… one more year until her training paid off. Until then, she had to keep at the grind. And get dressed. That’d be good too.

She was in the middle of tugging her winter cowl over her head when a dull knock came from the front door. “Coming!” she hollered down, finishing the job. Not bothering with fixing her turtleneck and nearly jamming her hip against her tiny table, Ciela darted up to the door and opened it wide.

Waiting at the entrance was a short, dark-haired young woman with a thousand yard stare. Her hands were clasped behind her back, polite. Ciela smiled big and bright upon seeing her. She barely returned the gesture.

“Mornin’, Aux!” chirped the younger girl. “I kinda did my hair already, sorry about that.”

“Hey, Ciela,” said Aux, monotone. “It’s fine. The chief wanted me t’ wake you up, but I guess we’re good on that front.”

“You think I’d sleep in on my _birthday?_ No way! I’m one year closer to my dream. Ain’t no sleeping in for me.”

Aux stopped, her mouth slightly open. “Birthday…?”

“Uh, _yeah._ Did you forget?” Ciela tried not to sound as put out as she felt. Her birthday was one of the few days people acknowledged her, and someone as important to her as her big sister forgetting it hurt just a bit.

Aux glanced away, as apologetic as she could manage to be. “I’m sorry, Cici, I didn’t mean to.” It still sounded awfully mechanical. She turned back and reached out to fiddle with her sister’s turtleneck. “Really, I didn’t.”

Ciela sighed. “It’s fine! It’s fine. You’ll remember next time it rolls around, won’tcha?”

“Of course I will,” Aux murmured as she finished evening out the collar. Her hands moved idly, her gaze passing straight through Ciela’s forehead. 

Ciela swallowed harshly. It had been like this ever since Ol’ Bess died. A feeble and sickly Aptonoth, Bess had still been a major part of Aux’s life. She’d had to go eventually, they both knew this, and yet it felt like Aux had been in mourning for ages. Still, Ciela knew better than to interfere with the grieving process. She wasn’t cruel.

“Okay! What’d Chief Omna want me for, anyway?”

“Not sure. Yer better off asking Dan. Or the Chief himself, I guess.”

“I guess.” A pause, as the teen considered her options. “You wanna come with me?”

“Uhhh…” Aux had to stop and think that one through a bit. “I got chores, sorry.” She did sound a twinge more sorry than before.

“Aww. That’s fine. I’ll see you later then, Relly!” Ciela gave her one more hug, then went to go get her satchel. Her smile never once wavered as she rummaged through her small pile of stuffed monsters.

“Found it!” she cheered, only to look back and notice Aux still standing at the door. “Um, Relly? I gotta go, an’ I can’t go if you’re blocking the doorway.”

Aux blinked, pulled back. “Oh-- sorry, Cici. See you later.” And that was that as the woman headed off to do her chores. Ciela followed soon after, ready for whatever Omna wanted from her. There was a spring in her step, a light in her eye. After all, the Chief’s house was only a hop, skip and jump away.

* * *

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”

A group of four people stood at the top of the hill in front of the Chief’s abode, cheering as Ciela crested it. She had never gotten this big of a reception before. Cheval, Lilia, Ms. Vlau _and_ Chief Omna, all there to congratulate her? It was enough to bring tears to her eyes.

“Hey, don’t cry, crybaby! We’re trying to make you _happy,_ you know!” Lilia chirped, flicking at one of her hair loops. “Can you just enjoy it?”

Ciela crossed her arms, trying to mock pout through blurry vision. “It ain’t that!! I just-- d-didn’t expect this, that’s all.”

Cheval frowned. “Lilia, those are probably tears of joy. Be nice…” He fidgeted with his sleeves, big amber eyes glancing toward the crybaby in question, who beamed through her tears. “See?”

Ms. Vlau laughed, ruffling her son’s hair a little bit. “Yes, we should be lifting Ciela up! She’s made it this far, after all.” Her own expression held a fond gaze as she looked at the trio of children.

Lilia wrapped her arm around Ciela in response, pulling her into a side hug. “All right, fine! I get to sit next to her at the table, though.”

“No fair!” Cheval whined, prompting Lilia to stick her tongue out at him.

“Guys. Guys,” Ciela said, now smiling in earnest. “You can both sit next to me!”

“Oh.” said Cheval.

“Oh right!” said Lilia.

The mechanical timer rang from inside the house, and Ms. Vlau smiled. “Well, the batter’s finished prepping. We’re making chocolate chip pancakes, so come inside, everyone!” She turned and pushed open the cedarwood doors, and the children scurried inside, followed by a much slower Chief Omna. The windmills turning up above them made for some pleasant background noise as Vlau cooked and Omna set the table.

In the interim, the kids took Lilia’s Monsterpedia out of her bag and leafed through its well-loved pages once again, pointing out their favorite creatures in the faded illustrations.

“You’re one year away from getting a Velocidrome…” Cheval said with an admiring glance her way. “You’re going to be such a cool rider, Ciela!” 

Propping her chin up with her arm, Ciela shrugged. “I kinda want a Bulldrome… but they don’t give those out to just anyone, you gotta be really well-trained. So _you_ might get one, Chev, but I sure won’t.”

Lilia frowned. “Don’t be so hard on yourself, Cici. You’re super talented too, you know!”

Cheval nodded in agreement, patting Ciela on the shoulder. “You might be better than I am, at certain things. Just ‘cause I’m top of the training group doesn’t negate that you’re almost right there with me.”

Ciela couldn’t fight the smile off her face. “Aw, you guys…”

“Pancakes are ready!” called Chief Omna from the kitchen.

The trio’s eyes all lit up at once, and they scurried off to enjoy their meal.

* * *

“Ah. I am bored,” Cheval deadpanned as he lay on the floor in a starfish shape.

“Me too!” the girls chorused in unison, before looking at each other and giggling. “Jinx,” said Ciela, “you owe me five zenny!”

“But I don’t _have_ five zenny,” said Lilia. “I only have a ten zenny coin!”

“Break it in half, and then you will,” snickered Cheval, which prompted everyone to start giggling again. Chocolate being the luxury that it was, they were all a bit giddy having each so much of it.

Suddenly, Lilia sat up, a devilish gleam in her vibrant green eyes. “I know what we can do,” she said in a low voice, and Ciela and Cheval rose to attention for wildly different reasons. That attitude was the one Lilia got when she had a bad idea, and Ciela was ready for a bad idea. Cheval, on the other hand…

“Don’t go too crazy, now,” he muttered, running a hand through his long red locks.

Lilia grinned. “Oh this is crazy, all right. Come outside with me.” With that, she stood up and slipped out the door for the others to follow.

Ciela stood up and offered a hand to help Cheval. He sighed and took it, smiling nervously at his friend.

“Let’s hope this idea isn’t as bad as the Hot Mist fiasco of last year,” he quipped, and Ciela stifled a snort.

“Yeah, let’s.”


	2. The Beginning

_January_

“We’re going to Whistill Forest _by ourselves?!_ ”

“Shh! Not so loud!” hissed Lilia as she beckoned the crew down the hill toward the main village. “I even made disguises for us, so people will think we’re Riders!”

Cheval had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. “Is that so? Can we see them, then?”

Lilia flashed him a smile. “You sure can! I stashed them in Aux’s place, though, so we’ll have to ask her to let us in.” She was practically vibrating with excitement. Her hands curled into fists and unfurled again.

Ciela and Cheval exchanged an anxious look. This would be a big deal, and if they were caught? Well, that might actually be _scarier_ than dealing with an angry monster-- especially if they managed to complete the objective of their mission.

“Okay,” Ciela said at last. “Should I ask her about it, or…?”

“Yes, but don’t tell her why.”

“Heard,” the birthday girl said as she walked to the other corner house and knocked on the door. “Hey, Relly? You in?”

The door slowly swung open, but it was clear that nobody was home. She must've been out doing her chores, still. Ciela figured that was as good a permission as any to grab the costumes, so she slipped inside and rummaged until she found what she assumed she was looking for: three bundles of white and orange cloth. She took them and came back out again, holding them out to Lilia. “These, right?”

“Those are the ones!” said Lilia, grabbing a bundle and unfolding it.

It was a fraying white cloak with branches tied onto the sides of the hood, and a face haphazardly painted in orange on the back. Cheval and Ciela took their bundles and found much the same. Cheval made a face.

“This looks nothing like Rider armor,” he said, inspecting the branches with dissatisfaction.

“It’s close enough…” Lilia muttered, pouting. “C’mon, put yours on and let’s go. We’ve got an egg to find.”

Ciela shrugged, tugging her disguise over her head. “At least this’ll be an adventure.”

“I don’t understand you people,” Cheval grumbled as he followed suit.

They made their way through the village, sneaking around the patrolling Rider’s route; Ciela dimly wondered what Dan would think, them sneaking out of the village with disguises in an attempt to do the impossible. Well, at least what everyone _said_ was impossible.

Her, personally? She was never fully convinced that you needed a Kinship Stone to hatch a monster.

They reached the plank bridge leading off into Pondry Hills and moved across it single file, swiftly, focused. Ciela led the way, with Lilia giving hushed directions and Cheval bringing up the rear. They did not stop until they reached Whistill Forest's looming tree-trunk archway, marching through a field of wildflowers and avoiding eye contact with passing Aptonoths.

"Okay. We're doing this. Okay," Cheval muttered, caught up in the idea that they'd just snuck out of Hakum with no protection. His breathing quickened.

"Easy, Chev," Ciela said, putting a hand on his back to steady him. "Lilia, we should look for sturdy branches. If somethin' shows up…"

Lilia nodded. "Right. I brought a call horn, so we'll be able to signal for help, too!" She fished it out of her bag and held it up with pride.

"You stole a call horn??" Cheval gasped. "We're gonna get in so much trouble…"

"No, no! I just… borrowed it!" Lilia chirped, a hint of anxiety in her tone.

Ciela sighed heavily and began her search for branches. Finding two suitable ones, she carries them over and hands one to Cheval. "Lilia, you're better at running than fighting. Y' got the call horn, you're our distress signal."

"Got it!" Lilia said. "Let's find ourselves an egg!"

* * *

"We are never going to find an egg," Cheval muttered under his breath. They'd been searching for what felt like hours, with nothing to show for it. They weren't about to check the dens they'd seen briefly, after all-- they were nowhere near equipped for that. "Can we just go home and pretend we got lost?"

"You _know_ they'd never believe that, Cheval," Lilia snapped back, a bit harsher than intended. "I think you're just a scaredy-Gargwa."

"Hey!" Cheval said, the sound bright and sharp. "I am not!"

"Are too," said Lilia, grinning. "You heard a rustle in the brush and jumped five feet in the air not ten minutes ago!"

" _Lady and gentleman_ _!_ Come check this out," Ciela interrupted, motioning for them to crowd around her. She pointed to a stray patch of strangely colored grass. It had a sickly purple hue, a stark contrast to the verdant green around it, and a flower in the center of the patch looked curled up and dead.

Lilia squinted at it. "That flower should be blooming," she murmured, but her thoughts were cut off. "Don't _touch_ it, Cheval! We don't know what happened to it!"

Cheval reeled back as though he'd been shocked after rubbing his feet on a wool carpet. "R-right," he managed. "Sorry."

Ciela moved them away from the dark grass, a thought crossing her mind. "Hey, let's split up and search. We shouldn't go far away, we could just cover a bit more ground if Cheval and I weren't following Lilia like lost Poogies."

Lilia perked up again, while Cheval seemed to deflate even further, but neither argued against it.

Ciela gave them both a grin that was trying to be reassuring-- trying being the operative word there, seeing as her fangs didn't do her any favors. "We'll whistle if we find something, right? Right. Let's go."

They rummaged through tall grass and even overturned stones in a desperate attempt to find something before they were caught. Then, Lilia had the bright idea to look up toward the cliffside.

"A nest!" she whispered, and whistled to alert the rest of the trio. They came running, and stared up at the cliff with anxious and determined eyes.

The next few minutes were filled with quiet scuffling as they scrambled up to the nest itself. It was made of straw and mud, and Ciela could swear there were Kelbi pelts woven into it. What could have made such a huge resting place? It was difficult not to speculate.

In the center of the nest lay several eggs, orange and marbled with deep blue stripes, as well as similarly patterned green and yellow ones. The group glanced between each other and back at the eggs, eyes wide with awe.

"Rath eggs," Lilia said, tone almost _dreamy._ "Which one should we try and hatch?"

Ciela took a steadying breath, scanning the nest while Cheval scanned the skies. They'd be in big trouble if a Rathian came back to the nest, and arguably even more if a Rathalos did. Oh, but there was a different-looking egg away from the others, all clustered for warmth. This one was alone; it almost seemed _lonely._ It was white, with strange scarlet markings resembling a crown.

"That one," the girl said, pointing to it. "W-we won't disrupt the other eggs that way."

Lilia beamed. "Sharp eye, Cici! Okay, are we ready, Cheval?"

Cheval blinked, shaken out of his paranoid reverie. "Y-yes, but… how are we going to do this? We can't just _break_ it, and we're not Riders…"

"So we'll just have to perform the ceremony now, then!" Lilia said with a devilish wink.

"Now?? But there's no way! We don't have Chief Omna's blessing--"

"Blessing, schmessing! Come on, don't you want to be able to raise a monster with us?"

"I do," said Cheval, shuffling his feet. "All right. What should we do, Lilia?"

Lilia lifted three round stones from the edge of the nest, handing one to Cheval and one to Ciela. "We'll perform the Rite of Kinship, of course! First, raise your Kinship Stones…"

"These are normal rocks," Cheval said.

"Oh, come on, Cheval, give it a rest. If it doesn't work, y' can say you told us so." Ciela raised her stone, a little stiff.

"Fine." Cheval raised his own, with Lilia following suit.

"Next, we formally introduce ourselves! Hello, egg, my name is Lilia. This is Cheval," she said, pointing to her left, "and this is Ciela." Now she pointed to the right.

Ciela could've sworn she felt a _zing_ when Lilia gestured to her, but she kept her mouth shut. No need to interrupt the rite.

Lilia smiled, and began to speak in a more formal voice. "O sacred Kinship Stone, bind thyself to the spirit of Ciela. The time of rebirth is nigh…"

"Awaken now, let us hear your cry!"

The trio stared intently at the egg, waiting for a response. None came. 

"I must have gotten something wrong," Lilia said with a pout.

"It's not like it was the real ritual!" chimed Cheval, all too happy to be proven right. "See, I told you s--"

The egg wiggled.

Ciela was still focused on it, watching carefully as the creature inside began to chip at the shell and fight its way through the cracks slowly appearing on the surface of the egg. "C'mon, c'mon," she mumbled under her breath. "You got this, kiddo, just one more push!"

Lilia and Cheval looked on in amazement as a tiny Rathalos hatchling spread its wings for the very first time, shaking off the remaining pieces of its eggshell.

Ciela's eyes went wide as it tottered its way over to her. She feared an attack, but to her shock, it sat down in front of her and gently nuzzled her legs.

"We… we hatched it?" Cheval mumbled, eyes big as dinner plates. "It's ours?"

"I think it's mostly Ciela's. Look, Ratha thinks she's his mom!" Lilia laughed, breathless from excitement.

"Ratha…?" Cheval said idly. He was still focused on Ciela's gentle petting and cooing to the monster-- she really was a natural.

"Yeah! Ratha the Rathalos! I think it's perfect." Clearly Lilia's naming skills needed a little work.

Ciela smiled, rising from her stooped position. "Let's not stay here any longer. We got what we came for, we should go back home before Mama Rathian shows up."

"Right," says Cheval, suddenly acutely aware of the danger they were in again. "L-let's go."

The trip down from the nest was much quicker than the trip up, though Ciela had to coax Ratha down with soft cries of "Here, boy! Come on, kiddo!" as he got used to his little legs and talons.

Once they stood closer to the forest, the trio took stock of their situation. "We have a few hours before sunset," Cheval said. "Do we remember the way out of Whistill?"

Lilia blinked. "Well, I remember how to get home from Whistill's _entrance…_ "

"That's not what I-- Lilia, did you bring a map??"

"N-no?" She gave the redhead a sheepish smile.

Ciela dragged a hand down her face. "Guys, can we chill out?" she said, in an attempt to lower their volume.

"The _one_ thing we probably needed _most_ on this trip and you didn't _prepare_ it???"

"Hey, it's not my fault! I couldn't get ahold of any!"

"Oh, and you got a hold of a call horn instead?? We're DEAD MEAT when we get home!"

A low, ursine growl echoed from the bushes nearby.

"Or," Ciela said with a harsh swallow, "we're dead meat now."

**Author's Note:**

> Oh Boy I'm Posting This w/o revising it and will probably go back and rewrite sections if i ever push myself to properly work on this  
> enjoy the result of a yearlong hyperfixation on monster hunter!


End file.
